5 Areas of Concern for England Despite Their Ashes Success Against Australia
Despite losing the fifth Test by an innings and 46 runs, England were able to celebrate a job well done at The Oval after clinching a 3-2 Ashes series victory over Australia.
Captain Alastair Cook had his hands back on the famous miniature urn as England—who have now won five of the last seven series—avenged the 5-0 loss they suffered on Australian soil in 2013/14.
However, the home side's success during the summer should not hide some of their shortcomings.
England coach Trevor Bayliss, who only took up his role just prior to the Ashes, admitted as much after the win at Trent Bridge that put his side into an unassailable 3-1 lead.
He said at the post-match press conference, per Andy Bull of the Guardian, “We’re not going to paper over the cracks. There are some improvements to be made with this team if we want to be the best in the world and want to play consistent cricket over a period of time and on foreign soil."
So, what are the improvements England must make if they are to become the top-ranked Test team in the world again?
Here, Bleacher Report picks out five areas of concern as they look ahead to winter tours to the United Arab Emirates, where they will face Pakistan and South Africa.
1. Finding an Opening Partner for Alastair Cook
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The search to find Alastair Cook an opening partner at the top of England's order looks set to continue.
Adam Lyth was the latest batsman to be given a chance next to the captain, yet the Yorkshireman failed to impress in the seven Tests he played over the summer.
The left-hander did hit a century against New Zealand at his home ground of Headingley, but in the Ashes, he found the going much tougher.
Lyth finished the series with an average of 12.77. Only James Anderson (2.77) ended up averaging less than Lyth for England, as seen on ESPN Cricinfo.
Openers Michael Carberry, Nick Compton and Sam Robson were previously tried, while team management also experimented with Joe Root and Jonathan Trott in the role.
In the short term, England could promote Moeen Ali to open for the series against Pakistan, allowing them to pick an extra spinner in their XI.
In his column for BBC Sport, broadcaster and journalist Jonathan Agnew suggested the selectors should not think too much about the long term, "The UAE is a one-off challenge in a part of the world where you need to play two spinners so you must select your best side for the conditions."
If England wants to choose a fresh option, however, then Alex Hales looks to be heading the queue.
The Nottinghamshire right-hander—who has already played limited-overs cricket at the international level—moved past 1,000 first-class runs for the season in making 189 against Warwickshire recently.
2. The Spin Cupboard Remains Pretty Bare
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Moeen Ali did a steady job as England's first-choice spinner during the Ashes.
The Worcestershire all-rounder picked up 12 wickets at an average of 45.50, though he went at an economy rate of 4.41 runs an over.
Against Australia on home soil, England were never likely to need to pick a second slow bowler in their XI.
However, the pitches in the United Arab Emirates are not going to be seamer-friendly surfaces. The selection policy is going to have to change accordingly, with Moeen needing some support.
Coach Trevor Bayliss acknowledged the likely change in the immediate aftermath of the fifth Ashes Test, per BBC Sport, "In the UAE the possibility of playing two spinners will be at the forefront of everyone's thinking, so obviously we'd have to change the team to get a second spinner in."
Adil Rashid would appear to be the obvious candidate to be drafted in.
The Yorkshire leg-spinner has been part of England's squad for all five Ashes Tests this summer, yet he has never appeared in the series.
Moeen would relish the chance to play in the same team as his friend Rashid, per Dean Wilson of the Mirror, "It would be good to bowl together. It helps that we can both bat. He spins it one way and I try to spin it another."
The next leading English spinner, in terms of first-class wickets during this current season, is Zafar Ansari, a batsman who bowls left-arm off-spin for Surrey.
Simon Kerrigan of Lancashire, another slow left-armer, has taken 33 wickets at 28.45. He made his one and only Test appearance to date in the 2013 Ashes, bowling just eight overs in the match.
3. Dealing with the Threat of Spin
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Australia hit England with plenty of pace during the Ashes.
Left-armer Mitchell Starc finished as the visiting team's leading bowler in the series, picking up 18 wickets.
However, Nathan Lyon wasn't too far behind—the off-spinner claimed 16 scalps in the series at an average of 28.25.
He was excellent in the fifth Test at The Oval, including dismissing Alastair Cook with a superb delivery on Day 2 that turned past the outside edge of the left-hander's bat to clip off stump.
England can expect to see deliveries do that on a regular basis when they go up against Pakistan's plethora of slow bowlers next.
The last time the two nations met in Test cricket in the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan's spin pairing of Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman combined to take 43 wickets in the three-match series.
Ajmal may not be the threat he once was, having undergone remedial work on his bowling action after being banned last September.
However, Pakistan now has Yasir Shah, a leg-spinner who picked up 24 wickets in the three-match series away in Sri Lanka earlier this year.
England has to work out a way to counter the threat of spin and make sure history doesn't repeat itself in the UAE.
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4. Taking Wickets on Flat Pitches
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England's two defeats during the Ashes both came in Tests in London played on pitches that offered little help to their bowlers.
At Lord's, in the second Test, the home side laboured for 149 overs before Australia finally put them out of their misery by declaring their first innings on 566 for eight.
The tourists, however, didn't find it so tough taking wickets on such a flat surface at the famous venue. England were bowled out 312 and then 103, with their second innings lasting just 37 overs.
The same situation occurred in the series finale at The Oval, again in London.
While England may point to the series already being won, their performance was disappointing.
After winning the toss and putting their opponents in, a seam attack minus the injured James Anderson failed to make inroads early on. Australia went on to make 481 on their way to an innings victory.
In between the two losses in the capital, though, England excelled in seamer-friendly conditions in Birmingham and Nottingham.
They cannot expect to encounter green pitches in the United Arab Emirates, however, so they must develop ways of taking wickets when the conditions are weighted in favour of the batsmen.
Perhaps being outsiders may help them in that respect. Alastair Cook admitted being second favourites suited England in the Ashes, per Ed Osmond of the Independent, "The fact we were underdogs before the series helped us. We were able to play with a bit of freedom and put them under pressure at crucial times."
5. Becoming Consistent in Test Cricket
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By winning at Birmingham and Nottingham, England did manage to win back-to-back Tests victories for the first time in 2015.
Previously, they had followed up each triumph with a defeat.
On the tour of the West Indies, they had let slip a 1-0 series lead in the third and final Test, going down by five wickets in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Then, back on home soil, England started the summer with an impressive win over New Zealand at Lord's, only to lose the next match at Headingley.
The key for captain Alastair Cook and the coaching duo of Trevor Bayliss and Paul Farbrace is to come through some growing pains with such a young group of players and find consistency in the longest format.
George Dobell of ESPN Cricinfo wrote after Day 2 of the fifth Ashes Test, "What should have been a celebration instead became a reminder that, for all the satisfaction of winning the Investec Ashes, England are a long way from the finished article."
At least England will get plenty of opportunities to improve during a busy winter.
Per Dean Wilson of the Mirror, vice-captain Joe Root acknowledged England are aware of the need to become more consistent, "We've got the talent in the dressing room with some very good players but we need to find that consistency and not having a bad two hours and letting sides back in."
All stats used in the article are from ESPN Cricinfo.
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